The case focuses on how a team of educators from Edgar Alan Poe Middle School in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) began integrating the Data Wise Improvement Process (DWIP) into the collaborative culture at their school. The case gives participants an opportunity to consider the challenges of implementing and scaling an initiative for continuous improvement. This case can be used to introduce the concept of a theory of action and help participants see the value of making an explicit connection between their strategy for supporting continuous improvement and their vision for teaching and learning. It can also be used to clarify the difference between a theory of action and an action plan, and to engage participants in developing both of these for Poe Middle School. Finally, it challenges participants to apply their learning by considering their own plans for implementing and scaling improvement in their contexts.
Subjects: Data and Assessment, School Improvement, Learning and Teaching
Setting: Public, Urban
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